Original Story Published by: Luke Bodell, www.the-star.co.ke
Photo Source: Getty Images
(Above) LIFT Airline will begin with domestic flights across South Africa.
The airline’s first flight took off at 06:40 local time from Cape Town, spending over 90 minutes in the air before touching down in Johannesburg at 08:16. The carrier flew with an Airbus A320 aircraft (registration ZS-GAO). With its fleet of three A320s, LIFT flights are all-economy with 174 seats.
Around an hour after the first flight took off, LIFT operated another flight heading the other way. Another A320 (registration ZS-GAL) departed Johannesburg at 07:40 and arrived in Cape Town just under two hours later at 09:38. The airline debuted its livery on Wednesday after an online competition last month allowed customers to choose their favorite.
Despite the slowdown in demand for air travel, LIFT appears to be doing rather well for itself. The start-up, headed by former Uber-exec Jonathan Ayache and Kulula.com founder Gidon Novick, has sold over 30,000 tickets already as South Africa’s summer season arrives. The airline presently plans to operate on just a couple of routes – Cape Town to Johannesburg and Johannesburg to George.
With an initial focus on popular domestic routes within South Africa, LIFT will avoid uncertainties and ever-changing regulations surrounding international travel. The airline generated huge publicity in South Africa after a competition to name the carrier saw over 25,000 suggestions. Unlike many airlines, LIFT allows passengers to change or cancel flights up to 24 hours before take-off without any surcharges. As founder Novick told The South African.
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